Financial

Summer Lull Drops Sales To 200,000 Per Month

After attempting to smokescreen their recent Vita sales figures, Sony has revealed that their premium handheld has managed to sell 2.2 million units worldwide as of June 30th - with estimates that they've only been able to shift 200,000 per month over the summer.

These figures are slightly worrying, especially since they suggest that the PSP is still vastly outselling its successor.

Safe In The Short Term

Breaking news: MCV reports that GAME have negotiated a new deal with their lending syndicate that should secure their financial position in the short term. GAME have promised to "operate within lower limits of its existing facilities than was previously available," while coming up with a new long-term strategy that will include input from their lenders.

This newfound security should also allow them to meet this year's covenant tests without incident. GAME are expecting an £18m for the next year before tax, which is actually better than what many analysts were expecting. It will be interesting to see whether the new strategic plan includes new cuts to their overseas operations as rumoured earlier today.

The short version? GAME is here to stay - for now - and we hope that the chain will evolve to meet the changing demands of the games market. We're convinced that there's still a place for traditional retail, not to mention its thousands of employees. The situation mirrors that of HMV last month, and it seems that bankers are still willing to back the high street despite a seriously rough downturn in boxed game sales.

20% Decline In 24 Hours

Call games "art" as much as you like, but when it comes down to brass tacks, it's all about the shareholders. Said fatcats power games development and are a notoriously fickle species... and Homefront's recent reception has caused a major panic within their ranks. THQ's shares are not looking healthy - and decreasing in value even as you read this sentence.

Guillermo del Toro to Develop Several Games

Guillermo del Toro, director of the Hellboy series and spectacular cult classic Pan's Labyrinth, is about to get into gaming in a big way. According to press statements made to MTV, Toro will soon announce a "big deal with a big company"- which involves the director collaborating on several "games that are going to be technically and narratively very interesting."

Del Toro's epic creature and art design will lend themselves perfectly to a videogame... and if it has anything to do with the upcoming Lovecraft adaptation Mountains of Madness, we could be in for some seriously impressive survival horror outings. Or the most bizarre Kinect fitness games ever produced. To whet your appetite, why not try out the freakishly bizarre Zeno Clash? [MTV]

Ninty Sales Collapse: Wii Up, £495,000,000 Down

Nintendo has released its first quarter financials... and I'm afraid to say that things have taken an unprecedented turn for the worse since 2009. Whilst Wii hardware sales have increased by 36% since this time last year, their profits have all but vanished. Their net income for the quarter was minus 25.2 billion yen (minus £185 million), standing in stark contrast with last year's Q1 profit of 42.3 billion (£310 million). This equates to a decrease of 60.2%... and a difference of £495 million compared to the three months ending June last year.

This is Nintendo's lowest first-quarter operating profit in five years- and there's a fair few factors at play here. European and Stateside sales account for over four fifths of Nintendo's overall income- and the recession hit both the dollar and pound sterling incredibly hard. Rampant piracy (now hopefully curbed by the ban on R4 cards in the UK) also has a role in Nintendo's financial hammering. According to Reuters, Nintendo have yet to change their profit forecast for the entire year, hoping that the 3DS and a "next-gen Wii" will be able to shift a fair few units.

The only silver lining is the epic sales that Nintendo's classic franchises managed to attract. Super Mario Galaxy 2 netted over £4.09 million by itself- and it's likely that they'll need to step up their first party output. Bizarrely, they've delayed the European release of Kirby's Epic Yarn until 2011. [Reuters]

Continuing the theme of Japanese financial woe, Capcom has also announced a 90.4% profit crater year on year. It's clear that Japanese developers and publishers will need to innovate and adapt to survive... which arguably may not be a bad thing.

PS3 on the Rise, Snapping At Microsoft's Heels

Just to rub it in the faces of Nintendo and Capcom, Sony has announced a 118% rise in PS3 sales this quarter- and are closing the gap with worldwide Xbox 360 sales. Microsoft's console stands at 41.7 million global sales... with Sony nipping at their heels with 38.1 million.

Every year without fail, Sony execs and fans proudly announce that it's the "year of the PS3"... and never quite managed to make it happen. Now, however, it looks like their age of Aquarius is actually be starting to materialise.

Oh, and PSP sales slumped, much to the surprise of absolutely no-one at all. Sony's failure to secure consistent 3rd party software support and terrible advertising has crippled the handheld- which is a shame, considering its incredible hardware and potential. [via VG247]

You know you want to get involved in this one. Is this the year of the PS3? Will Sony's holiday and 2011 lineup seal the deal for the hardware giant? Have your say in the comments!

Shogun 2: Total War Trailered, Looks Awesome

Sega has released a new trailer for Shogun 2: Total War- and it's looking mighty fine indeed. Whilst it purports to be in-game footage, it actually appears to be taken from a CG cutscene,but you'll get the idea. Expect enormous battles, some tough tactical decisions and a little diplomacy to keep your enemies guessing.